Ice tray



J. H. MINER 3ICEYTRAY Filed July '29. 1937 James Jhfc'nei',

meted Nov. to, 1940 UNITED" STATES PATENT F CE JanieaEMlnenMerldian, mm. in Application July 29, 1932, Serial'No. 158,388 13 claim, (Cl. 62-1035) The invention" to ice trays 'for reirigerators and consists inthe features and in the combination and arrangement of parts herer inaiter described and particularly pointed out in- J the claims,

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of the inventio Fig. 2 is a plan viewshowing the relation of the parts when the two-part grid is operated by a movement of the hand lever in one direction; Fig. 3 illustrates the action when the hand leveris moved to a greater extent than shown in Fig. 2.

The tray proper illustrated at I may be of substantially ordinary form having elongated sides and end walls which may incline upwardly and outwardly from the bottom of the tray.

Within this tray a divlderor grid is located, consisting of two main portions. Each main portion comprises a longitudinally extending bar 2 set up on edge, and fins or partition plates 3 extending laterally from these bars land dividing thespace within the tray into cube forming chambers or pockets.

The bars 2 of the grid sections normally; lie.

close together, and each is provided with a proiection at 4 so related in respectto each other that the end of a lever 5 can be thrust between these projections when the parts are innormal position. so that by then operating the lever, one

oi the grid sections will move towards theright,v

while the othergridsection moves towards the left, and in this movement of the hand lever, the grid bars 2, 2 .will be separatedirorn each other laterally, as will be seen by comparing Fig. 1 with the position'oi' the grid .bars inFig. 2..

In order to secure this lateral separation of the lateraly extending grid bars 2, 2, the projections 4, I may have their opposing faces inclined as indicated at 6, so that the first part of the movement of the lever 5 will cause a a lateral separation of the longitudinally extending bars 2, and thisis immediately followed by,

a relative movement of these bars in ,the direc- 45 tion of their length, but in ODIN-lite directions] The ends of the center bars 2 of the grid sections engage blocks- 1 attached as byvulcanization to the end walls of the tray. These blocks are of rubber or other yielding material capableof, re-

50 covering its form after-being distorted as a result of pressure thereon, These blocks or rubber cupy space within the tray which otherwise would, be occupied by the ice. In effect they- [I provide areas free from ice, which will allow the or like material ocportions of the grid, suchas the longitudinally extending bars 2, 2, to have movement when subjected to pressure'in the proper direction. In 'thepresent case the rubber block permits the grid sections to move lengthwise of'the tray 5 relative to each other, the said rubber block dis tortlng under the pressure exerted by the grid bars, but recovering their previous form when this pressure is released. These rubber blocks do not extend entirely across the end walls of 10 the tray, but leave spaces'at 8 which may be occupied by the ice. r

The partition walls or fins 3 of the grid sections are desirably formed of metalhaving some yielding or spring quality. They are integrally 16 connected with the longitudinal bars or partitions 2, and may flex'slightly under-pressure when the partition 01 bar 2to which they are attached, is moved lengthwise. vThe ends 101' the fins 3 may be inclined to accord'with the up- 20 ward and outward inclination of the side Walls 1 oithetray. j

Fig.3 illustrates the position of-the parts when the hand lever 5 is moved towards the left. The insertion of th tool 5, which it will be noticed as is wedge-shaped, serves to give an initial separating tendency to the longitudinally extending bars .2. The tray may be made of thin metal soas to flex slightly under the pressures 'towhich it is subjected. For instance,"as the bars 2 or 30 the grid are spread apart laterally the sidesoi the tray may flex slightly to accommodate this lateral spreading of the grid sections, together with the cubes located inthe chambers or pockets thereof. 35 It will be observedsin' Fig. 3 that the full stroke of the lever has taken place and that the bars 2 of the grid have not only moved to theirfull limit in opposite directions, but have-approached each other from their spread apart condition of 40 Fig. .2, relieving the ice cubes of further presu e t ,7 I

the other sothat one hall the cubes can be withdrawn hour the tray y removing one half thegridw v The'operating'lever may be of different forms from that shown solthat the action might take place while the tray is in theabsorber-chamber. The action or the lever will be to' break or crack. any trozenijoint between the "faces or they lengthwise extending bars of the grid andv alsoto crack the ice cubes from the'tray.

The center bars 2, 2 01' the gridmay have one side'of'the grid can be" removed without r broad end surfaces where they bear on the rubber to prevent undue wear.

The'invention is not limited to the form of the inventionshown except as stated in the appended claims.

I do not limit myself to the use of rubber blocks as the means for occupying space that might otherwise be occupied by'the ice, which would unduly resist the endwise movement of the center bars of the grid.

The cracking of the ice from the tray requires but a small degree of movement of the grid. The fins being flexible, will crack the ice cubes apart therefrom as said fins flex. 1B In place of the solid rubber members these may be formed hollow. One purpose of these members is to provide for the easy movement of the grid member or members, in respect to a space not occupied by ice. The hollow rubber member would accomplish the result while offering practically no resistance to the movement -of the grid or to members making up the complete grid. The hollow rubber or yielding member of other material will be water proof in the sense that water will'be excluded from its interior, so that the desired end of providing a space free fromice will be accomplished. The rubber block may be inflated or may simply be in the-form of a hollow rubber member, readily yielding to pressure.

I do not claim broadly herein yielding means which permits movement of one part of the organization relative to another part for breaking the ice cubes away from their seats, such subject matter being included in my application Serial No. 141,771, filed May 10, 1937.

1. An ice tray for refrigerators comprising a tray proper and agrid therein, said grid being 40 in sections, each of which comprises a bar or partition extending lengthwise of the tray adjacent the other at the lengthwise center thereof, and substantially from end to end'of the tray, fins attached to each of saidbars and extend- 5 ing transversely of the tray to form ice cube compartments, and means removably engaging said barsfor operating said bars in opposite directions longitudinally of -the tray, said lengthwise extending bars being provided with lugsbetween 50 which a wedge shaped tool is inserted to move said bars in opposite directions, said tool acting to spread said bars, substantially as described,

2. An ice tray organization for refrigerators comprising a tray, a grid therein in two sec- 55 tions, each having a partition extending longitudinally lengthwise of the tray substantially centrally thereof, and juxtaposedrelative to the partition of the other section, fins extending from said partitions in a direction transversely of the tray to the sides thereof, and means for operating the partitions of. the grid relative to the tray and to each other, said means moving the said partitions away from each other in a direction transversely of the tray and in a direction lengthwise of the tray, substantially as described.-

3 An ice tray organization according to claim 2 in which the fins are yieldable in respect to the longitudinal partition which carries them.

4. An ice tray organization including a tray proper made up of side and end walls bearing substantially a fixed relation to each other, said tray being of conventional longer than wide shape, a grid composed of two sections, each comprising a partition member extending substantially from end wall to end wall, but each adapted to have comparative movement from one end wall of the tray towards the other end Wall thereof while maintaining its position in the same horizontal plane, said partitions bein luxtaposed at the center of the tray, and yielding members between an end of each grid section and the adjacent end wall of the tray upon which said grid end bears, and means for moving the grid sections lengthwise of the tray against the yielding members, said yielding members occupying space that otherwise would be occupied by ice, which would prevent movement of the tray lengthwise thereof, said longitudinally extending partitions having fins extending laterally therefrom with their ends free to move along the side walls of the tray, substantially as described.

5. An ice tray organization for refrigerators comprising a tray proper, a grid therein in sections each comprising a bar or partition extending longitudinally of the tray at the centerthereof, and initially substantially in contact with the other bar, said bars having fins extending laterally thereof to the side walls of the tray and operating means for spreading the bars, said means also operating the bars longitudinallyand inopposite directions relative to each other, substantially as described.

6. An ice tray organization according to claim 2 in which the operating meansafter moving the bars longitudinally relative to each other in separated relation operate the bars laterally towards each other, substantially as described.

7. An ice tray organization comprising an ice tray proper, having side, end and bottom walls integrally connected together, a removable grid therein made in two separately formed sections, each having a bar or partition member extending lengthwise of the tray, arranged face'to face, and each having laterally extending fins, and means for operating said bars lengthwise of the tray relative to each other and to the end walls of the said tray. I

8. An ice tray organization according to claim 7 in which the relative movement between the bars takes place in opposite directions simultaneously.

9. An ice tray organization comprising a tray,

a removable grid of two separately formed sec-' tions, each having a longitudinally extending bar with fins spaced apart along and extending laterally therefrom, and movable therewith, said bars being arranged face to face, and means for operating the bars simultaneously in the directionof their length oppositely, substantially as described.

l0. An ice tray organization comprising a tray, a grid in two. sections extending side by side lengthwise of the tray, and rubber blocks at each end of the tray and means for oper'at ing the grid sections in opposite directions relative to each other, each section of the grid being controlled in its movement 'by one of the rubber blocks individual thereto. a

11. An ice tray organization for refrigerators comprising a tray proper, a grid removably mounted therein composed of separately formed main bars extending lengthwise of the tray, each having a set of fins projecting laterally therefrom, said main bars and fins dividing the space within the tray into cube forming pockets, and a body of yielding material within and between parts of the organization, said body of yielding material occupying space which otherwise would be occupied by the ice, said body allowing, under 2,221,810 pressure, relative movement between parts of the organization for breaking the cubes of ice away from their seats, and means for operating said bars lengthwise of the tray simultaneously in opposite directions, substantially as described.

12. An ice tray organization comprising a tray,

a grid in two separately formed sections extend- I ing side by side lengthwise of the tray, and each capable of moving in the direction of its length towards an end of the tray, means for moving said sections simultaneously in opposite directions lengthwise of the tray, and yielding means occupying part of the space within the organization, in contact with a part of thejgrid' and distortable by the movement of the grid sections, vsubstantially as described. 7 v

- 13. An ice tray organization according to claim 7 in which there is at each end of the tray, and 7 bearing upon the end wall thereof, a block of yieldable material, one of which is borne upon by one of the longitudinally extending bars of the grid, and the otherof which is borne upon grid, substantially as described.

JAIIVIIE'SHZ.MINER.. 

